Card game and method for playing the same

ABSTRACT

A card game and method for playing the same includes a deck of cards having a plurality of like sets of cards, optional wild cards, and optional special cards. Players are dealt a hand and the remainder of the cards is placed in the center of the table, face down. In the preferred embodiment, each player, on his or her turn, begins play by opening a collection by playing a partial collection of matching cards from his or her hand. The player may continue to open collections, build on previously opened collections, or steal partially completed collections from opponents. The player&#39;s turn is over when the player either creates a complete collection of matching cards or passes play to the next player. In the preferred embodiments, the goal is to earn the most points, which may be awarded, for example, based on the number of completed collections and the number of cards in open collections. In preferred embodiments, cards remaining in a player&#39;s hand at the end of a round detract from the player&#39;s score. Preferably, a game comprises multiple rounds, and the player with the most points at the end of the game is declared the winner.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) based on U.S. provisional Application No. 61/310,604 filed Mar. 4, 2010. The aforementioned provisional application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a game played with a deck of cards and, more particularly, to a card game in which two or more players take turns building collections of matching cards; stealing partially completed collections of matching cards from opponents; and making completed collections of matching cards. In certain embodiments, the final card played to complete a collection is hidden, e.g., played face down, allowing the player completing the collection to bluff by playing a non-matching card, wherein other players can challenge the validity of the completed collection.

Known card games are often either (a) so simplistic that, while they allow a lot of socializing while playing, they can be boring to play; or (b) so complicated or intricate that they require complete concentration, leaving no room for socialization. The card game in accordance with the present disclosure is both easy to learn and play, and offers a nice balance of interaction between players.

The presently disclosed card game is simple enough that children can learn and play it right away, while at the same time, it is sufficiently complex that one can develop strategies for playing that keep the game interesting for adults.

SUMMARY

The present development provides a multi-player card game which employs a deck of cards. The deck comprises multiple like sets of cards. To start a game, each player is dealt a hand of cards and the remainder of the deck is placed face down in a pile on the table or other playing surface. The active player begins each turn by drawing the top card from the deck. In preferred embodiments, the active player must be able to “open” by playing a partially completed collection, e.g., by laying them face up, before making any other plays. In preferred embodiments, a minimum of 2 matching cards is required to open, although it is contemplated that some other minimum number of matching cards could be required to open.

In the preferred embodiments, if the active player does not have at least one partially completed collection (also sometimes referred to herein as an “open collection”), that player is “locked out” and play passes to the next player. The open collection could be an open collection played at the beginning of the active player's turn, or, could be a partially completed collection still remaining in front of the player that had been played on a previous turn. Assuming that the player has at least one partially completed collection, the player may continue his or her turn by (1) opening additional partially completed collections; (2) building on partially completed collections by adding a matching card to one of the active player's previously opened collections; or (3) if the active player is holding a card that matches an opponent's partially completed collection, stealing the opponent's partially completed collection, adding it to the stealing player's own collections, and adding the matching card. The active player can continue the turn by opening, building, and stealing as many times as he or she would like. In other variations, the player may be limited to a certain number of plays per turn.

The turn ends and play passes to the next player when the active player cannot (or does not wish to) make any more plays. In preferred embodiments, the player's turn may also end when the player creates a complete collection of matching cards, e.g., by building on or stealing an open or partial collection, wherein the card added during the play results in a complete collection. In this preferred embodiment, a complete collection can be made only once per turn and ends the active player's turn. Alternative embodiments are contemplated, however, wherein there is no restriction on the number of completed collections that a player can complete in a single turn.

One advantage of the presently disclosed card game resides in the ease in which it can be learned and played. Another advantage of the present card game is that it not too complicated, thus affording players an opportunity to socialize while the game is going on. Yet another advantage of the present card game is that the game can be fun for both children and adults. Still another advantage of the present card game is that it can be just as much fun for two people to play as it is for three, four, five, six, or even more people.

Still further features and advantages of the card came in accordance with the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of following detailed description which serves to illustrate by way of example the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may take form in various components and arrangements of components, and in various steps and arrangements of steps. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an exemplary deck of cards of a type which may be employed to play the card game of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a first exemplary method of playing the card game of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a second exemplary method of playing the card game of the present disclosure wherein optional special cards are used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIG. 1, there appears an exemplary deck 12 of cards 14, comprising a plurality of like sets 16 a-16 f of cards, an optional set 18 of wild cards, and an optional set 20 of “special” or “action” cards. In the depicted preferred embodiment, each of the sets 16 a-16 f has 16 cards, although it will be recognized that any number of cards may be provided in each like set, preferably in the range of 12 to 20, although other numbers of cards per set are contemplated.

The illustrated embodiment also depicts a deck of cards containing 5 like sets of cards. However, a deck of cards containing any number of like sets of cards may be used, preferably in the range of 4 to 9 sets of cards, with 5 being the preferred number of like sets of cards. Decks containing other numbers of like sets of cards, however, are also contemplated.

In the depicted preferred embodiment, the sets of cards 16 a-16 f use numbering thereon to distinguish each card in a given set from the other cards in the set. However, it will be recognized that any visual indicia may be used (e.g., by printing thereon) in place of numerals, including without limitation, letters, words, symbols, colors, pictures, or other graphical indicia allowing the players to distinguish the cards contained within in a given set.

As used herein, the terms “sets” or “like sets” of cards are used interchangeably to describe groups of cards in the deck, wherein the cards in one set have some indicia in common with corresponding matching cards in the other sets, such that the players can match or group matching cards from the multiple sets into “collections” of matching cards during play.

The terms “sets” or “like sets” are as used herein not intended to be limited to sets that are identical in all respects, although it is sufficient for purposes of the present game if the sets are identical. However, it is also contemplated that the like sets of cards could have some additional indicia (not shown) unique within each set to thereby distinguish the sets from each other. For example, each of the sets 16 a-16 f could be a different color (or have any other type of indicia distinguishing the like sets from each other). While distinguishing between the multiple sets of cards is not important or necessary for the present card game, it may be desirable, for example, in designing or producing a multipurpose deck of cards for playing the present card game, but which could additionally be used to play other cards games that rely on having multiple “suits” or the equivalent thereof, such as a second distinguishing variable. Such additional card games could be such as variants of known card games, such as “Crazy Eights” type card games, UNO® type card games, Rummy-type card games, and so forth.

As used herein, the terms “like cards” or “matching cards” refer to cards from different sets having matching indicia, irrespective of whether the sets are identical in all respects or have some additional indicia for distinguishing the sets from each other as described above. Likewise, the matching indicia on matching cards need not be identical to comprise a match, so long as the matching indicia on such matching cards are sufficiently similar or related so as to be readily identifiable to the players as constituting a match.

The term “collection” will be used herein to refer to a group of matching cards which has been played, e.g., by opening, building on, stealing, or completing, as described below. The wording used herein has been selected solely to provide consistent terminology throughout for ease of exposition of the principles of the card game disclosed herein, without regard to any nuances or subtle distinctions in the meaning of the particular terms selected.

In the depicted embodiment, the exemplary deck 12 includes 5 wild cards 18, which may be used during play as a “match” with any other card of the player's choosing when opening, building on, stealing, or completing a collection. In alternative embodiments, any other number of wild cards may be used, and preferably, the number of wild cards ranges from 1 to 9. In certain embodiments, the number of wild cards may be equal to the number of like sets of cards (e.g., 5 in the depicted exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1). In other embodiments, the wild cards may be eliminated all together. In other embodiments, wild cards may be provided, but wherein limits may be placed on the number of wild cards that may be used in a given collection (e.g., a maximum of 1 or a maximum of 2, etc.). The opposite sides of the cards (not shown) may be blank or otherwise have uniform graphics or indicia thereon so as not to identify the card when it is placed face down.

In the depicted embodiment of FIG. 1, the exemplary deck 12 also includes 6 special or action cards 20, which may be used during play to allow the player to take a special actions or make a special plays that would not ordinarily be allowable if the user was not holding the action card. A number of special actions are contemplated, some of which involve only the player playing the action card, and some of which may involve one or more, or even all of the other players. In some cases, the special card(s) may be beneficial to the player holding the card. In other cases, the special card may be detrimental to the user holding it. In the depicted embodiment, there are shown a set 20 containing 6 special cards, although any number of special cards may be provided in the set 20. The special cards within the set 20 may all be of the same type, or the set may include two or more different types of action cards. Some of the presently preferred special action cards and their manner of use will be described in detail below by way of reference to FIG. 3. Again, the special action cards are optional and may be eliminated altogether.

Referring now FIGS. 2 and 3, there are shown flowcharts outlining first and second exemplary methods of playing the card game disclosed herein. FIG. 2 represents an exemplary embodiment wherein the special cards 20 (see FIG. 1) are not used. FIG. 3 represents an exemplary embodiment wherein the special cards 20 are used. To start the game, one of the players is selected to be the dealer. This may be done in any known manner. For example, each player could cut the cards and the deal awarded based on a preselected criterion, such as the highest or lowest card cut. Alternatively, the players may simply agree upon which player will deal first.

The dealer shuffles the deck and deals each player some predetermined number of cards (step 30). Although the number of cards dealt to each player to begin a round or hand may be any number, in the depicted preferred embodiment with 5 sets of 16 cards in each set (plus optional wild cards), the number of cards dealt to each player is advantageously 7. The remainder of the deck is placed face down in the center of the table or other playing surface and play proceeds to the next player (step 32) (e.g., the player to the left of the dealer), who begins his or her turn by drawing a card, e.g., the top card, from the deck (step 34).

The present invention will be described herein by way of reference to the preferred manner of play, wherein the players must draw a card at the beginning of each turn. Other variants are also possible, however. For example, the embodiments described herein could be modified so that players are required to draw a card at the end of every turn, except in the event of a round ending play (see step 48, which is detailed below). Alternatively, players could be required to draw a card at the end of any turn in which they were unable to open a collection or otherwise make any play.

In accordance with the depicted preferred embodiment, to start play, the active player must be able to open a collection of matching cards at step 36. For example, in the depicted preferred embodiment wherein there are 5 like sets of cards, the number of matching cards in an open collection may be at least 2 and up to 4 (although embodiments wherein a collection may be opened with 1 card are also contemplated). If a deck with some other number, N, of like sets of cards is used, an open set of matching cards may be from 2 up to N−1.

In the illustrated preferred embodiments, if the player does not have at least one open collection of matching cards in front of him or her, then they are deemed to be “locked out” and cannot make any further plays. Then the process proceeds directly to step 46 and that player's turn ends. Alternative embodiments are contemplated, however, wherein the requirement of having an open collection to play is eliminated. For example, in certain embodiments, step 36 could be eliminated altogether, wherein the process proceeds from step 34 directly to steps 38, 40, 42 (and/or 43 in the case of the FIG. 3 embodiment), as applicable. In other embodiments, the open collection requirement of step 36 could be satisfied if the active player had previously played an open collection at any point during the game, e.g., even if the open collection was thereafter stolen by another player or subsequently turned into a completed collection by building upon it.

The process then proceeds to step 48 where it is determined whether a round-ending event has occurred (as will be described below). If a round-ending event has not occurred at step 48, the process returns to step 32 and play passes to the next player (step 38). Because players can potentially make multiple plays during a turn and it will not always be readily apparent when a player's turn is over, it may be advantageous to adopt a rule preventing a player from beginning his or her turn until the active player has indicated that his or her turn is over. The player may indicate that his or her turn is over, for example, by knocking on the table, saying “pass” or the like. One or more exceptions could be provided, for example, when the player has made a turn-ending play by completing a collection as described below, or, when some predetermined amount of time has elapsed without the active player making a play. Optionally, the next player could be penalized if that player starts his or turn before the active player's turn has ended, as described below. In yet other variations, the play may be ended with the player discarding a card.

At step 32, the next player (e.g., the player to the previous player's left) draws a card (step 34) and play continues as described above until a player opens a collection of matching cards at step 36. As noted above, in the preferred embodiments, the minimum number of matching cards required to open a collection is 2, and the present card game will be described primarily herein by way of reference to the preferred embodiment wherein a pair of matching cards may be used to open a collection. It will be recognized, however, that depending on the number of like sets of cards in the deck being used, variations are possible wherein some other minimum number of matching cards is required to open a collection, such as 3, 4, etc.

Once a player opens a collection at step 36, he or she places the cards face up in front of him or her. That player may then continue the turn by either opening additional collections (step 38), building on an open collection that the player has already played (step 40), or stealing a collection from another player (step 42). With specific reference now to FIG. 3, the FIG. 3 embodiment differs from that of FIG. 2 in that in addition to opening additional collections, building on an open collection that the player has already played, or stealing a collection from another player at steps 38, 40, and 42, respectively, the player also has the option of playing a special card 20 (see FIG. 1) at step 43.

With continued reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, there will now be described several alternative embodiments for handling so-called “split” collections, i.e., as would occur when a player attempts to open a collection (whether at step 36 or 38) which matches another open collection already on the table. In one such alternative embodiment, when opening a collection (whether at step 36 or 38), the cards in the collection being opened cannot match the cards in any collection that has been previously played by another player. This could be a player who is locked out and attempts to open his or her first collection at step 36 without realizing there is a matching open collection already on the table. Alternatively, this could be a player who is not locked out and opens a collection at step 38 when the proper play would have been to steal the collection at step 42. In this embodiment, a player who inadvertently opens a collection that matches an open collection already on the table may be penalized. For example, the player could be required to return the improperly played cards to his or her hand and forfeit his or her turn. Alternatively, a rule may be provided that entitles the player who first points out that there are multiple open sets of matching cards on the table to take them and combine them into a single collection in front of that player.

In other embodiments, opening a collection that matches another open collection already on the table is allowed, and two such variations will now be described.

In a first embodiment in which multiple open collections of matching cards is permitted, if a player opens a collection that matches an existing collection on the table, the collections are deemed to be “split” and, during that turn, the split collections must remain separate and cannot be combined. After that turn, play continues normally, and any player who is eligible to steal during their turn (e.g., not locked out) can play a matching card and combine the matching split open collections into a single collection. If combining the split open collections with a steal results in a completed collection, the final card may be played face down. Where bluffing is permitted the final card may be a non-matching card played face down, subject to challenge, as described in greater detail below. Note that in this embodiment allowing sets of matching cards to be split into multiple open collections, if wild cards and/or bluffing (described below) are used, it is possible to have a completed collection made up of more than the number of like sets of cards in the deck.

In the preferred embodiments having 5 sets of like cards and wherein a minimum of two cards is required to open a collection, combining split collections via a steal at step 42 will always result in a completed collection at step 44. However, it should be noted that in alternative embodiments having larger numbers of like sets of cards in the deck, combining split collections at step 42 may or may not result in a completed collection at step 44. For example, it is contemplated that the deck of cards may include larger numbers of like sets of cards, e.g., as may be advantageous to adapt the present card game for play by a larger number of players. In such embodiments, the deck may contain more than five like sets of cards, for example, 6 or more preferably 7 (although other numbers are contemplated as well). In such embodiments containing, e.g., 6 or 7 like sets of cards, 6 or 7 cards, respectively, are required to make a completed collection. By way of example, in such embodiments, one player could open with a pair and, later, another player opens with a matching pair to create a split. After that turn, any player could play another card matching the split open collections to steal both split collections and combine them, along with the matching card, into an open collection containing 5 cards. In such 6 or 7 (or more) card embodiments, the resulting 5-card collection is still an open collection and the matching card is played face up. In this example, the combining of split collections is treated as an ordinary steal at step 42 which does not result in a completed collection at step 44.

In a second, preferred embodiment in which multiple open collections of matching cards are permitted, a player is permitted to open (step 36 or 38) and steal (step 42) on the same play. That is, the player is allowed to open with a collection that matches an opponent's collection already on the table. The opponent's matching collection is then taken and immediately combined with the active player's collection. If there are a sufficient number of cards in the combined set, this may instantly create a completed collection (step 44) and end the player's turn (step 46). For a player who has one or more open collections, this is equivalent to stealing and then building upon the stolen collection. However, if the active player has no open collections and would otherwise be locked out, this rule allows the player to, in essence, open and steal within a single play. In an especially preferred embodiment, if a player opens a collection matching an open collection of an opponent and does not notice the opponent's matching collection, the first player to point this out is entitled to take both open collections and combine them into a single collection in front of that player.

Building upon an open collection (step 40) means that the player adds a card to one of that player's already-open collections, i.e., an open collection that the active player has already been played. Completed sets cannot be built upon at step 40.

When stealing a collection (step 42), the active player takes an open collection from an opponent and places it in front of the active player. A player can steal an opponent's collection only if that player is holding a matching card or a wild card. When a player steals a collection from an opponent, the stealing player must then add the matching card to the stolen collection. Completed sets cannot be stolen at step 42.

With reference again to the embodiment of FIG. 3, in addition to opening (step 38), building on (step 40), or stealing (step 42) a collection, the player has the additional option of playing a special or action card 20 (see FIG. 1) at step 43. Some exemplary special cards 20 which are presently contemplated for play at step 43 include a “Draw” card, a “Stick Up” card, a “Shift” card, a “Hold Up” card, a “Sneak In” card, and a “Ball and Chain” card. The Draw card instructs the player to draw one or more extra cards from the deck (e.g., a number as specified in the Draw card itself) and add the one or more cards to his or her hand. The Stick Up card allows the player to take one random card from any other player's hand. The Shift card requires all players to pass a card to the player next to them (e.g., to the player on their left). The Hold Up card requires all players to show one card from their hand so everyone can see, wherein player playing the Hold Up card gets to pick one of the exposed cards of his/her choosing and add it to his/her hand. The Sneak In card allows the player to start or open a new collection with some number of cards less than that required to “open” a collection. For example, in embodiments requiring 2 or more cards to open a collection, the player playing a Sneak In is permitted on that turn to open a collection with just one card. A player holding a Ball and Chain card is stuck with that card unless they can pass it in a shift or use it as a bluff card on a Bag-O-Loot. It will be recognized that other types of special cards are also contemplated.

Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 3, an exception to the rule that requires the player to be holding a matching card (or wild card) in order to steal at step 42 may be provided in those embodiments that allow “bluffing” (as described below). That is, where bluffing is permitted, players may steal a partial collection that has one card less than a completed collection (e.g., a 4-card collection in the depicted preferred embodiment wherein a completed collection consists of 5 cards) without holding a matching card, and play a non-matching card to complete the collection. Embodiments employing the ability of players to bluff when completing collections are described in greater detail below.

The preferred manner of play is that played collections are played face up when opening, building, and stealing, e.g., so that the other players can see the cards, how many cards the collections contain, and who the collections belong to, although other variations are contemplated wherein cards may be played face down requiring the players to remember what cards have been played.

In the preferred embodiments wherein the cards are played face up, it is still possible to allow players to “bluff” by playing a non-matching card when completing a collection (e.g., at step 40 or 42). In such embodiments, the last card of the completed collection is placed face down. Embodiments of the present card game employing a bluffing component will be described in further detail below.

In the depicted preferred embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3, the active player may continue to open collections (step 38), build on collections (step 40), steal collections (step 42), and, in the case of the FIG. 3 embodiment, play special cards (step 43) so long as the player does not create a completed collection of like cards (step 44). However, if it is determined at step 44 that the player has completed a collection (e.g., following either of the steps 40 and 42), then the player's turn ends (step 46), and the process proceeds to step 48. If a round-ending play has still not occurred at step 48, then play proceeds to the next player (step 32) and the process continues as described above.

Although the preferred embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3 only permit players to complete a single collection before their turn ends, it will be recognized that alternative embodiments are possible wherein the completion of a collection of matching cards is not a round-ending event. In such embodiments, players are permitted to complete multiple collections per turn, so that completion of a collection at step 44 will not end the turn, but instead, will simply cause the process to return to steps 38, 40, and/or 42 (and step 43 in the case of FIG. 3), as applicable.

In preferred embodiments, a complete collection is a matching set of cards which is equal to the number of like sets in the deck 12, e.g., 5 in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1. In other variations, a completed set may be another predetermined number of cards. For example, variations of the game are contemplated wherein the number of cards in a “completed” collection is less than the number of like sets of cards in the deck. Such embodiments may advantageously be employed for larger groups of players. For example, in a preferred “large group” version of the card game herein (e.g., adapted for 7 to 12 players), there may be, e.g., 9 or 10 of each card in the deck (plus optionally wild cards, e.g., 9 or 10 wild cards), but wherein the players still only need 5 matching cards to complete a collection. In such embodiments, it is possible that two completed collections of cards having the same number (or other matching indicia) on the table at the same time. In such embodiments, it may be desirable to limit the number of wild cards that may be used in a collection, e.g., to a maximum of 1 or 2).

Alternatively, if the active player cannot make a play at any one of steps 38, 40, or 42, e.g., by either opening a new collection (step 36), building on an open collection (step 38), stealing an open collection from another player (step 40), or, in the case of FIG. 3 only, play a special card (step 43), then the process proceeds to step 46, the player's turn ends, and it is determined whether a round-ending play has occurred at step 48.

There are two types of plays which will result in a determination that the round is over at step 48, in which case the process proceeds to step 50 and the round ends. The first type of round-ending play occurs when the active player uses all of the cards held in his or her hand in a single turn. The second type of round-ending play occurs after all of the cards have been drawn from the deck and no one can make any more plays. In preferred embodiments, when a round ends after a player has used all of the cards in his or her hand, that player is entitled to take a completed collection from any other player.

Once the round has ended at step 50, the process of FIG. 2 may be repeated until the game has ended. Alternatively, the game may end after a single round. The game may end and the winner may be determined by any of a number of methods. For example, a game may consist of a single round wherein the players' hands are scored via predetermined scoring criteria, with the player with the highest score being declared the winner. Alternatively, a game may consist of a single round, wherein the object is to be the first player to play all of the cards in one's hand, and wherein the first player to play all of the cards in his or her hand is declared the winner.

In the preferred embodiments, however, a game consists of multiple rounds, wherein each player's hand is scored at the end of each round according to some predetermined scoring criteria, with each player's score for each round being added to determine his or her total score for the game. At the end of a round in a multi-round game, the scores are posted and the deal is passed to the next player (e.g., to the left) and the next round is started. For example, scores may be posted and tallied by writing the scores down on a pad of paper and adding each player's score to that player's scores from previous rounds. Other known methods of keeping score may also be used, such as tracking players' scores by moving pegs or pieces on a board, or the like.

The game may end by any of a number of methods, which may be agreed upon by the players before the start of the game. For example, the game may end after some predetermined or agreed upon number of rounds have been played, with the player having the highest score at the end of the game being declared the winner. Alternatively, the rounds could continue until some predetermined score is reached, with the first player to reach such predetermined score being declared the winner. In still further embodiments, a game may be played until a certain time or time of play has been reached.

Although a number of methods of scoring the player's hands at the end of a round are contemplated, it is preferable, that each player's score be based on the number of cards in that player's collections that have been played during the round. It is also preferred that a bonus or premium be awarded for each completed collection that is made. It is further preferred that unplayed cards remaining in a player's hand at the end of a round be counted against the player's score.

A particularly preferred scoring method will now be described, wherein completed collections are worth 10 points each, and the individual cards in open collections are worth one point each. For each card remaining in a player's hand after a round has ended, one card is removed from the player's played collections prior to calculating the score, with cards in open collections being removed before breaking up completed collections. If the removal of cards from the player's open and completed collections results in the break up of a completed collection, the remaining cards in the completed collection that was broken up are worth one point each. If the number of unplayed cards in a player's hand is greater than the number of cards in the player's collections, then that player receives zero points for the round.

Other scoring methods are also contemplated as well. For example, it is contemplated that deductions for held cards at the end of a round that exceed the number of cards in played collections could result in a negative score being awarded. Also, the cards in completed and open collections could be totaled according to their predetermined values as set forth above, with a predetermined deduction (e.g., one point) being made for each unplayed card remaining in the player's hand at the end of a round. In other embodiments, different cards can be assigned different numeric values (e.g., based on face value, etc.,) with the scoring and/or deductions being based on such assigned values.

As noted above, the card game in accordance with the present disclosure may be played with a deck containing any number of like sets of cards, with any number of distinct cards within the sets. Likewise, for a given deck of cards, it may be desirable to remove cards from the deck so that smaller subsets of the deck are used for fewer numbers of players and larger subsets (up to and including the complete deck) are used for larger numbers of players.

In the preferred embodiments, a deck of cards as shown in FIG. 1, continuing 85 cards, including 5 like sets of 16 cards, plus 5 wild cards, can be used. The deck of cards as shown in FIG. 1 has been found to be particularly advantageous for 2-4 players. For two players, it has been found to be advantageous to remove the 14's, 15's, and 16's (or a corresponding number of sets of like cards where the numerical indicia are not used) from the deck.

As noted above, in certain embodiments of the present card game, players may be allowed to “bluff” when creating a complete collection of matching cards. For example, in the preferred embodiment wherein there are 5 like sets of cards, a complete collection of matching cards is created when a player either steals or builds on a collection of 4 cards, thereby creating a 5-card collection.

To bluff, the final card in the collection does not have to match the rest of the cards in the collection. To incorporate bluffing into the presently disclosed card game, the player completing a collection places the final card in the collection (e.g., the fifth card when the deck according to the depicted preferred embodiment of FIG. 1 is used) face down. When a non-matching card is played as the last card in a collection, it is deemed to be a bluff.

In embodiments incorporating bluffing, opponents may be entitled to challenge the play as being a bluff. For example, if any opponent wishes to challenge a completed collection as being a bluff, they may do so, e.g., by saying “challenge,” at which time the challenged player must show the challenger the top card of the completed collection being challenged. If a challenged completed collection is, in fact, a bluff, the challenge is successful and the challenger gets to keep the collection that he or she challenged. If the challenged completed collection was not a bluff, i.e., the face down card matches the other cards in the collection, then the challenge is unsuccessful and the challenger is penalized. The penalty may be, for example, requiring the challenger to give up one or more collections to the player who was unsuccessfully challenged.

In the event of a challenge, a rule may be provided governing who is entitled to see the top card. Preferably, the top card is shown only to the challenger, who need not share the information with the other players. In other embodiments, a challenge may result in the top card being placed face up to reveal the card to all players.

In preferred embodiments, the challenge must be timely. For example, a rule could be imposed that requires any challenge to be made before the next player begins his or her turn, e.g., before the next player draws a card from the deck. To avoid disputes in the event of multiple challengers, a rule could be imposed which deems the first player to challenge (e.g., the first player to say “challenge” aloud) the challenger.

It is noted that a player with no open or completed collections in front of him or her cannot be penalized as described above and, therefore, has no incentive not to challenge. Therefore, it is preferable to limit the ability of players to challenge to only those players who have at least one open or completed collection in front of them. In a particularly preferred embodiment, an unsuccessful challenger is required to give up a completed collection to the player that was challenged, or, if the unsuccessful challenger does not have a completed collection, the challenger is required to give the player all of his or her open collections. In other embodiments, players without a collection or completed set may still be permitted to still challenge, wherein some alternative penalty is imposed for an unsuccessful challenge, such as skipping one or more turns, losing points, not being allowed to finish the round, or the like.

In such embodiments where bluffing is allowed, one variation is that bluffing not be permitted when the completion of a collection results in a round-ending play at step 48. That is, bluffing is prohibited when the card being used to complete a collection is the last card in active player's hand.

In another, more preferred variation where bluffing is allowed, bluffing is permitted whenever a collection is completed, even when the card being used to complete the collection is the last card in active player's hand. In this variation, an opponent may challenge as described above. If the challenge is unsuccessful (i.e., the card completing the collection was not a bluff), the round is over (step 50) and the challenger is penalized as described above. If the challenge is successful (i.e., the card completing the collection was in fact a bluff), the successful challenger is awarded the collection and the round continues and the process continues to step 32, e.g., the bluffer would draw a card on his or her next turn. A number of additional or alternative penalties are also contemplated for the successfully challenged bluffing player, e.g., the bluffing player could be required to skip their next one or more turns, or, the bluffing player could be out for the remainder of the round.

In those embodiments employing either or both of (1) wild cards and (2) the ability of players to bluff when completing a collection, it will be recognized that certain cards may become unplayable as a round progresses, with such unplayable cards being referred to herein as “dead cards.” For example, each wild card played in a completed collection and each non-matching card played as a bluff will result in a corresponding dead card. That is, any unplayed card that matches the cards in a completed collection containing a wild card and/or a non-matching bluff card will be a dead card.

In certain, more basic embodiments, the dead cards cannot be played. For example, the players may exchange the dead cards for a new card from the deck. In other embodiments, the players may simply play dead cards in their hands by laying them face up during their turns. In such embodiments, the dead cards can be eliminated from the players' hands, but the dead cards played in this manner do not count as a collection, cannot be built upon or stolen, and receive no score at the end of a round.

Variations allowing the scoring of dead cards, however, are also contemplated. For example, in certain variations, dead cards played as described above could be awarded points at the end of a round (e.g., one point each). Dead cards remaining in a player's hand at the end of a round may result in a deduction as described above, or, may have no effect on the player's score. Variations as to the timing of playing dead cards are also possible. For example, in certain embodiments, dead cards in a player's hand can be played only during the player's turn. Alternatively, dead cards could be played at other times, for example, any time after the card becomes a dead card or immediately after the end of a round.

In more advanced embodiments, dead cards may be combined to make collections which can then be built upon and stolen with other dead cards to complete a collection. In such embodiments, dead card collections are treated and scored the same as other collections.

In still further embodiments, penalties may be imposed upon players for (1) playing out of turn and/or (2) forgetting to draw a card from the deck at the beginning their turn. For example, if the player whose turn is next begins his or her turn (e.g., by drawing a card from the deck) before the active player has completed his or her turn (e.g., because they have neither created a complete collection nor passed/knocked), then that player must keep the drawn card and that player's turn is skipped. An exemplary penalty that may be imposed when a player begins making plays before drawing a card from the deck is to require the player to undo all plays that were made, requiring the player to draw a card, and skipping that player's turn.

The invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of the preceding detailed description. For example, other methods of play may include rules wherein players are permitted to replace a wild card used in a collection with a corresponding matching card and to then re-use the wild in another play. Still other variations are contemplated wherein all non-completed collections are left in the middle of the table or playing surface. Players could then take completed sets as a way of earning points or the object of the game could simply be the first player to use up all the cards in his or her hand. In still further embodiments, players may be allowed to open a collection with just one card, but, in such embodiments, it is preferable to add a rule requiring players to open a collection on every turn in which they wish to make any other play. It is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof. 

1. A method of playing a card game with multiple players, comprising: a. providing a deck of cards having multiple sets of cards with matching indicia; b. dealing a hand comprising multiple cards from the deck to each player; c. beginning a round wherein each player take turns in succession, each turn including any one or more of: (i) creating an open set of matching cards by combining a plurality of cards having matching indicia and laying down said plurality of cards face up, wherein said plurality of cards contains at least a first predetermined number of cards and less than a second predetermined number of cards, wherein said first predetermined number of cards is a minimum number of cards required to create the open set of matching cards and said second predetermined number of cards is a number of cards required to create a completed set of matching cards; (ii) building on a previously created open set of matching cards by adding a card having matching indicia to the previously created open set; (iii) if the player is holding a card having indicia matching an open set previously created by an opponent, stealing the open set previously created by the opponent by taking the open set previously created by the opponent and adding the card having indicia matching the open set previously created by the opponent; and (iv) passing play to a next sequential player; d. if said building on a previously created open set or said stealing the open set previously created by the opponent results in a completed set of matching cards, immediately ending the turn and passing play to the next sequential player; and e. if the player plays all of the cards in the hand, ending the round.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: prior to beginning each turn, if a player does not have at least one open set of matching cards containing at least said first predetermined number of cards and less than said second predetermined number of cards, immediately passing play to the next player.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: after said dealing a hand comprising multiple cards to each player, placing a remainder of the deck of cards face down, the remainder of the deck of cards being a draw pile; and each player beginning the turn by taking the top card from the draw pile.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: after all of the cards in the remainder of the deck have been drawn, ending the round.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: at the end of the round, scoring each player's hand.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: after a predetermined number of rounds have been played, ending the game.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein said scoring comprises, for each player: awarding a first numerical point value for completed collections; awarding a second numerical point value for each card in an open collections; and deducting points for any unplayed cards remaining the player's hand at the end of the round.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein said scoring comprises, for each player: if the number of unplayed cards remaining in the player's hand at the end of the round exceeds the number of cards in the player's open collections and completed collections created during the round, awarding the player a score of zero points; for each unplayed card remaining the player's hand at the end of the round, removing a card from one or both the player's open collections and completed collections; after said removing, awarding a first numerical point value for any remaining completed collections and awarding a second numerical point value for each card remaining in any open collections.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: said deck including one or more wild cards; and using said one or more wild cards in place of one of said plurality of cards having matching indicia.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: if the player is holding a card that matches the cards in a completed set of matching cards previously created by the player or any opponent, discarding said card that matches the cards in a completed set and drawing a new card from the remainder of the deck.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein said deck includes five like sets of cards, said first predetermined number of cards is two, and said second predetermined number of cards is five.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the cards in said deck of cards contain numerical indicia on a face thereof and further wherein the cards in said deck of cards have a uniform back opposite the face whereby each card is indistinguishable from the other cards in the deck when played face down.
 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: if said step of building on a previously created open set of matching cards by adding a card having matching indicia to the previously created open set results in a set having a number of cards that is less than said second predetermined number of cards, laying said card having matching indicia to the previously created open set face up; if said step of building on a previously created open set of matching cards by adding a card having matching indicia to the previously created open set results in a set having a number of cards that is equal to said second predetermined number of cards, the player can either (i) lay said card having matching indicia to the previously created open set face down; or (ii) play a bluff card by laying down a card having non-matching indicia to the previously created open set face down to create a completed set; if said step of stealing the open set previously created by the opponent by taking the open set previously created by the opponent and adding the card having indicia matching the open set previously created by the opponent set results in a set having a number of cards that is less than said second predetermined number of cards, laying said card having matching indicia to the previously created open set face up; if said step of stealing the open set previously created by the opponent by taking the open set previously created by the opponent and adding the card having indicia matching the open set previously created by the opponent set results in a set having a number of cards that is equal to said second predetermined number of cards, the player can either (i) lay said card having matching indicia to the previously created open set face down; or (ii) play a bluff card by laying down a card having non-matching indicia to the previously created open set face down to create a completed set; if the player creates a completed set, allowing an opponent to challenge a card laid face down as a being a bluff card; if an opponent correctly challenges the card laid face down as being a bluff card, the player forfeiting the completed set to said opponent; and if an opponent incorrectly challenges the card laid face down as being a bluff card, said opponent forfeiting to the player either (i) a completed set previously created by said opponent; or (ii) one or more open sets previously created by said opponent.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: if the player creates a completed set, allowing only opponents having at least one previously created completed set, at least one previously created open set, or both to challenge a card laid face down as a being a bluff card; and if an opponent incorrectly challenges the card laid face down as being a bluff card: (i) said opponent forfeiting to the player a completed set previously created by said opponent; or (ii) if said opponent does not have at least one previously created completed set, said opponent forfeiting to the player all open sets previously created by said opponent.
 15. A method of playing a card game with multiple players, comprising: a. providing a deck of cards having multiple sets of cards with matching indicia and at least one special action card; b. dealing a hand comprising multiple cards to each player; c. beginning a round wherein a first player takes a turn, the turn including any one or more of: (i) creating an open set of matching cards by combining a plurality of cards having matching indicia and laying down said plurality of cards face up, wherein said plurality of cards contains at least a first predetermined number of cards and less than a second predetermined number of cards, wherein said first predetermined number of cards is a minimum number of cards required to create the open set of matching cards and said second predetermined number of cards is a number of cards required to create a completed set of matching cards; (ii) building on a previously created open set of matching cards by adding a card having matching indicia to the previously created open set; (iii) if the player is holding a card having indicia matching an open set previously created by an opponent, stealing the open set previously created by the opponent by taking the open set previously created by the opponent and adding the card having indicia matching the open set previously created by the opponent; (iv) playing a special action card; and (v) passing play to a next sequential player; d. if said building on a previously created open set or said stealing the open set previously created by the opponent results in a completed set of matching cards, immediately ending the turn and passing play to the next sequential player; and e. if the player plays all of the cards in the hand, ending the round.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: prior to beginning each turn, if the player does not have at least one open set of matching cards containing at least said first predetermined number of cards and less than said second predetermined number of cards, immediately passing play to the next player.
 17. The method of claim 15, further comprising: after said dealing a hand comprising multiple cards to each player, placing a remainder of the deck of cards face down, the remainder of the deck of cards being a draw pile; and each player beginning the turn by taking the top card from the draw pile.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: after all of the cards in the remainder of the deck have been drawn, ending the round.
 19. The method of claim 15, further comprising: said one or more special action cards selected from the group consisting of: a first special action card requiring the player to draw one or more cards from the remainder of the deck; a second special action card allows the player to take one random card from an opponent's hand; a third special action card requiring each player to pass a card to an adjacent player; a fourth special action card requiring each player to reveal one card, wherein a player playing the fourth special action card may select a revealed card and add it to the player's hand; a fifth special action card allowing the player to create an open set with one or both of: (i) a single card; or (ii) some number of matching cards which is less than said first predetermined number of cards; a sixth special action card which cannot be played during one or more of the steps of (i) creating an open set; (ii) building on a previously created open set; and (iii) stealing an open set previously created by an opponent; and any combination thereof.
 20. The method of claim 15, further comprising: said deck including one or more wild cards; and using said one or more wild cards in place of one of said plurality of cards having matching indicia.
 21. The method of claim 15, further comprising: if the player is holding a card that matches the cards in a completed set of matching cards previously created by the player or any opponent, discarding said card that matches the cards in a completed set and drawing a new card from the remainder of the deck.
 22. The method of claim 15, wherein said deck includes five like sets of cards, said first predetermined number of cards is two, and said second predetermined number of cards is five.
 23. The method of claim 15, wherein the cards in said deck of cards contain numerical indicia.
 24. The method of claim 15, further comprising: if said step of building on a previously created open set of matching cards by adding a card having matching indicia to the previously created open set results in a set having a number of cards that is less than said second predetermined number of cards, laying said card having matching indicia to the previously created open set face up; if said step of building on a previously created open set of matching cards by adding a card having matching indicia to the previously created open set results in a set having a number of cards that is equal to said second predetermined number of cards, the player can either (i) lay said card having matching indicia to the previously created open set face down; or (ii) play a bluff card by laying down a card having non-matching indicia to the previously created open set face down to create a completed set; if said step of stealing the open set previously created by the opponent by taking the open set previously created by the opponent and adding the card having indicia matching the open set previously created by the opponent set results in a set having a number of cards that is less than said second predetermined number of cards, laying said card having matching indicia to the previously created open set face up; if said step of stealing the open set previously created by the opponent by taking the open set previously created by the opponent and adding the card having indicia matching the open set previously created by the opponent set results in a set having a number of cards that is equal to said second predetermined number of cards, the player can either (i) lay said card having matching indicia to the previously created open set face down; or (ii) play a bluff card by laying down a card having non-matching indicia to the previously created open set face down to create a completed set; if the player creates a completed set, allowing an opponent to challenge a card laid face down as a being a bluff card; if an opponent correctly challenges the card laid face down as being a bluff card, the player forfeiting the completed set to said opponent; and if an opponent incorrectly challenges the card laid face down as being a bluff card, said opponent forfeiting to the player either (i) a completed set previously created by said opponent; or (ii) one or more open sets previously created by said opponent.
 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising: if the player creates a completed set, allowing only opponents having at least one previously created completed set, at least one previously created open set, or both to challenge a card laid face down as a being a bluff card; and if an opponent incorrectly challenges the card laid face down as being a bluff card: (i) said opponent forfeiting to the player a completed set previously created by said opponent; or (ii) if said opponent does not have at least one previously created completed set, said opponent forfeiting to the player all open sets previously created by said opponent. 